In a dramatic protest against the use of cow dung in classrooms under the guise of research, student leader Raunak Khatri targeted the principal’s office
NEW DELHI – A controversy erupted at Delhi University’s Laxmibai College on Monday after Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President Raunak Khatri staged a dramatic protest by smearing cow dung in the principal’s office and washroom. The move was in response to a viral video of Principal Dr Pratyush Vatsala applying cow dung and mud on the walls of a classroom, claiming it was part of a research project.
“This college is for students, not the principal’s laboratory,” said Khatri, criticising the use of cow dung in portacabin classrooms without the consent of the students. “If this experiment is truly for research, it should begin in her own office and home.”
The video, shared widely on social media, shows the principal coating the walls of a classroom in the C-block with a cow dung mixture. Dr Vatsala later told the media, “This research is titled ‘Study of thermal stress control using traditional Indian knowledge’. I have applied the paste in one classroom. There is no harm in touching natural mud. Some people are spreading misinformation.”
Despite the explanation, the act triggered widespread dissatisfaction among students and faculty. Complaints ranged from unbearable smell and unhygienic conditions to a lack of basic infrastructure.
Students say the experiment has made it difficult to study. “The cow dung stinks. We already face a shortage of drinking water and proper ventilation, and now this,” a student said, requesting anonymity.
Khatri, along with a group of students, visited the college on Monday. Finding the principal absent, he accused her of avoiding accountability. “She left 15 minutes before we arrived. She knew she was in the wrong,” he alleged.
When the college’s vice principal attempted to intervene, Khatri reportedly said, “The principal’s room is centrally air-conditioned while students are forced to sit in cow dung classrooms. Don’t you feel ashamed?”
सवाल पूछने और सवाल उठाने वालों की रौनक बनी रहे। @ronak_khatrii pic.twitter.com/V0xFQOW3Er
— Vinod Kapri (@vinodkapri) April 15, 2025
In what he called a symbolic act of protest, Khatri then smeared cow dung across the walls of the principal’s office and toilet. Posting the incident on the X platform, he wrote, “When I went to the principal madam’s office, she was not found. But I took her campaign forward by smearing cow dung in her room with the help of student power.”
He added, “There was no student consent for this so-called experiment. I visited the classrooms myself. There’s only one door for entry and exit, which violates UGC norms. Meanwhile, the principal enjoys a clean, air-conditioned office and washroom.”
Khatri said he plans to file a First Information Report (FIR) and approach the high court regarding the classroom’s safety hazards and mismanagement of student facilities.
Support for Khatri’s protest poured in on social media. A student wrote, “In response to the backward thinking of the principal, Raunak Khatri plastered her luxurious office with cow dung. A standing ovation to this brave young man.”
Another user commented, “Raunak Khatri ji, it was good to see that you introduced the principal to the smell of cow dung. Youths like you are showing the way to those with petty mindsets.”
Dr Jitendra Meena, DU professor and spokesperson of Bharat Adivasi Party, also weighed in: “In the next chapter of the cow dung lesson at Delhi University, DUSU President today plastered the principal’s office. He rightly asks—why should only students enjoy the ‘coolness’ of dung?”
Despite mounting criticism, Principal Vatsala has not released any new statement after the protest. The college administration has yet to confirm whether action will be taken or the classroom experiment withdrawn.
Khatri concluded his statement by urging the Ministry of Education to look into the matter. “Portacabin classrooms should have air-conditioners. Students should not be forced to sit in substandard, stinking rooms in the name of research.”
The incident has reignited debates around traditional practices, the misuse of research as justification for questionable decisions, and the growing frustration among students over infrastructure neglect under certain university authorities.
